A Slice of Brooklyn Bus Tours

I took my 20 year-old son Mitchell to New York as a celebration of the completion of his college degree. One of our Australian travel shows (Getaway) took the Slice of Brooklyn Pizza Tour and highly recommended it so we thought we would give it a try. We were enthusiastically greeted by our guide Paula, a true Brooklyn girl, and the cousin of the tour owner Tony. Paula really knew her stuff and told the tales of Brooklyn and its characters brilliantly. The two pizza stops Grimaldis and Spumoni Gardens have some of the best pizza you will get anywhere. Mitchell and I both gave Spumoni Gardens our vote as Number 1. The Tour covered Brooklyn history, a look through many of the neighborhoods, and even included a walk on the Boardwalk at Coney Island. Great value and thanks Paula for making us feel a part of your Brooklyn. We will be recommending the Slice of Brooklyn Tour to anyone we know who travels to New York. Stephen and Mitchell Oke Leonay NSW Australia

My wife and I booked this tour on impulse after deciding to book the Christmas lights tour from the same company. As we are from the UK, the reviews of the tour on Zerve as well as the media coverage on YouTube were what helped reassure us that we should be in safe hands booking the tour. We arrived a little earlier than the recommended arrival time and so had a couple of others. The minibus arrived and Paula stepped out and introduced herself. She has a warm and very likeable personality. We felt like Paula was like a long lost friend. We left on time and proceeded with the tour. The first stop was to take pictures of the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a very cold day and Paula acknowledged this and adapted the tour so that we were still able to take photos of the best bits whilst using the warm bus to drive past the interesting but non-photographic parts. This was a good choice :-) We explored an area filled with luxurious mansions which completely blew away our preconceptions about Brookyln. (Paula, we are converts!) The first Pizza stop was at Grimaldi's. They served hot thin crust Margarita pizzas in a small restaurant. There was a queue when we arrived and when we left so it must be good pizza! Our opinion (from deep pan fans) was it was nice but nothing amazingly special. We then proceeded around Brooklyn where we were shown movie clips on the bus. These were synced up with our location so we were driving down streets as John Travolta and other movie stars did. That was cool. Our second pizza stop was L&B Spumoni Gardens, where we had an authentic Sicilian pizza - deep pan pizza covered in cheese then tomato sauce. This was our favourite of the two but again it wasn't anything special. Nevertheless, with the cold weather, pizza was a very nice treat! We headed down to Coney Island which is somewhere we wanted to see as it was featured in Ugly Betty. It was freezing and at this time of year looked more like a ghost town. Oh, and it was freezing :-) We then headed back to Manhattan to end the tour. We are so glad we booked this tour as it gave us the chance to see Brooklyn which is something we wouldn't have otherwise done. The tour's title is perhaps a bit of a disservice but naming it the 'Brookyln Film, Sights, Sounds and Pizza tour' is certainly a bit of a mouthful. The pizza is a perk in our eyes and not the main focus (and rightly so in our eyes). The only criticism was that we thought there could have been more modern film and TV programmes used in the tour, alongside the classics. The tour is great regardless, but this would add a cherry to the fully iced and decorated cake! If you have 4.5 hours to spare, book this tour. It offers a great overview of Brooklyn and you'll meet some great people along the way. It's a good tour in any weather made possible by the warm and comfortable bus. Thanks Paula for your amazing tour. It was definitely a highlight of our holiday :-)

My wife and I had a fantastic time on your Slice of Brooklyn tour. Paula was a fantastic host and guide. Food was exceptional. Will be back in the spring when weather will be warmer, rather cold day but warmed up with the delicious pizza at Grimaldi's....Keep it up Paula, you may take Tony's job afterall...

I have gone on three of these tours--2 with Tony and one with Paola. The cousins share that wonderful energy and enthusiasm for Brooklyn that really makes the tour. Everyone loves the pizza--that is easy. But the fun on the bus is because Tony and Paola are just the best advocates a borough could ever have. We'll go on some Brooklyn tour with them every year.

My love of pizza trumped my usual disdain for guided tours and I signed up. From the first introduction, Paula charmed us with her love of Brooklyn and enthusiasm for the movies, locations, culture, pizza history and diversity of her hometown. It was fun to see clips of movies as we drove past the locations. We also enjoyed her personal stories. The pizza was outstanding. I like the first thin crust the best although both were mouthwatering. The spumoni at the second place was not included in the tour price, but well worth the extra $2. I am eagerly awaiting the upcoming mob tour!

We had Paula, Tony's cousin, and she was a true Brooklynite - with the accent and all, which was important to us seeing as we travelled all the way from Australia! The smaller bus was great for the intimate group we had, better than a big coach as we got to mingle with all the other tourists as well. We loved Grimaldi better than Spumoni's - but they were great both and you get PLENTY of pizza, plus there's a good gelateria at Spumoni's - however it was a tad cold for Gelato (minus 2 degrees!!) but the bus was lovely and warm and there's a great video montage that is played throughout the tour. Lots of great commentry about Brooklyn and plenty of photo stops - you'll love it, go for it!

I would really recommend this company. The tours are small and personal. The bus was new and very clean. I felt like I was getting a personal tour by a family member. It was one of my best experiences in New York. I went on other tours but they were crowded and impersonal. Paula was great she makes you feel like she is an old friend or a cousin. She was very funny and knowledgeable. I will definately book one of the other tours when we come back. We went on the Pizza tour of Brooklyn. I enjoyed the pizza but the tour itself was worth it. I feel like we got to see parts of the city only the locals know. I really wish they had tours of the other boroughs. I would go on them all.

Learning about the history of Brooklyn, its famous residents, its place in our country's history, its use in so many famous movies along with a visit to two outstanding pizzerias is worth a great deal more than the price of the ticket. We spent 4 1/2 hours on tour and hated to see it end. Highly recommended. We plan to take this tour again

Having taken part in the Slice of Brooklyn Pizza Tour 2 years ago this was one tour we really wanted to do. Tony is as excellent guide and it's great to be with someone who was born and raised in Brooklyn. The tour was fantastic and we would all recommend it to anyone who loves the magic of Christmas. And for those who don't, this might make them love it!

The pizza at Grimaldi's (base of Brooklyn Bridge) is very good, and I liked it slightly better than at Lombardi's (which is on Spring St in Manhattan and not on this tour), though my wife liked Lombardi's best. We did not particularly care for the thick crust sicilian pizza which was a second pizza stop on the Brooklyn tour. The tour is an intertaining way to see Brooklyn.

the tour was great. i strongly recommend it even if you're a local boy as myself. i took my boys to see these elaborate displays that i enjoyed seeing as a child growing up in brooklyn. they were amazed at the grand scale of the displays especially the home with its own radio frequency. the night was capped off with espresso and capuccino to warm up the inside. i wanted something different to do with my boys for the holidays since the radio city show has become routine. this lights tour was just what we were looking for. tony, our tour guide, was awesome. great job guys!!!!!!

This was possibly the highlight of my NYC trip! Very well put together and Tony gives a great insight to the people behind the house!

Christmas lights were fantastic and a real treat for us city dwellers. Tony, our guide is a real people person and his enthusiasm was contagious. We felt like kids again, awestruck at the wonder of the gorgeous lights and decorations. Mona Lisa Bakery served the freshest, tastiest, best cannoli I've ever eaten in my life. Wonderful evening, don't miss it. (Pizza Tour is great fun too!) Angie and friends, NYC

Enjoyed it very much. We had a little technical difficulty with the video, but enjoyed the lights and Tony's dialog very much. Stop at Mona Lisa's was fun. A great way to begin the holiday season and get everyone in the spirit of Christmas.

If you're not in the Christmas spirit, Tony's tour will get you there. This is an intimate tour of the Brooklyn Christmas lights by a man who has lived there all his life and knows the various homeowners personally. Ending the tour at the Mona Lisa Bakery is a little piece of Heaven.